Dunedin LPA Meeting August 12, 2026: Rezoning, Member Appointments
Dunedin Local Planning Agency Meeting – August 12, 2026
The Local Planning Agency (LPA) met on August 12, 2026, at 6:00 PM in City Hall to consider a rezoning application, approve prior meeting minutes, and recommend appointments to fill board vacancies. The board voted unanimously on all items, forwarding recommendations to the City Commission.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of July 8, 2026 LPA Meeting Minutes: The board unanimously approved the minutes as submitted, with no questions or amendments.
Discussion Items
- Rezoning Application LUP/ZO-2026-0002 (Ordinance 26-09): A request to rezone the 1.07-acre property at 968 Douglas Avenue from Downtown Industrial (DI) to Downtown Core (DC) to allow ground-floor retail as part of the Douglas Parking Center – a 318-space parking structure with approximately 25,000 square feet of leasable retail space along Douglas Avenue and the Pinellas Trail. Staff (George Kinney, Community Development, and Bob Ironsmith, Economic Development/CRA) presented the recommendation for approval, noting consistency with the Activity Center land use designation, the CRA Master Plan, and the Comprehensive Plan. Applicant representative John Pentazas clarified that 25,000 sq. ft. is the leasable footprint, but a service area could become leasable depending on tenant needs, and any increase would require a zoning administration review. Board member Paul Klein noted discrepancies in public square footage figures (25,000–35,000 sq. ft.) and parking counts (309 vs. 318); the applicant confirmed 318 spaces and 25,000 sq. ft. as current. Klein also inquired about road closure impacts on Halloween events; staff stated closures are planned for October 26–27 and that special events had coordinated. No public comments were offered. The board discussed site visibility triangles with the engineer, Creek Work Sergeant, who confirmed a 20‑foot setback from the road edge. The board voted unanimously to recommend approval.
- LPA Member Appointments: The board advanced Alternate Member Tim Young to a regular seat (full-time) and moved Alternate Sylvia Seek to the #1 alternate position, both unanimously. For the vacant #2 alternate seat, the board reviewed four candidates: Danny Masaro (architect), Larry Gerson, John Schein, and Jeremy Reynolds. Caitlin Hembry, a real estate broker and prospective Dunedin resident, appeared and expressed interest but was deemed ineligible due to residency/business ownership requirements (she lives in Palm Harbor and works in Clearwater). The board directed staff to share other board vacancies with her. After discussion, the board moved and seconded a motion for Danny Masaro, citing his architectural expertise, and voted unanimously to recommend his appointment.
Key Outcomes
- Rezoning Recommendation (Ordinance 26-09): Unanimous vote (6-0) to recommend approval of rezoning from DI to DC to the City Commission.
- Member Advancement: Unanimous vote to advance Tim Young to a regular seat and Sylvia Seek to #1 alternate.
- Alternate #2 Recommendation: Unanimous vote to recommend Danny Masaro for appointment as #2 alternate member.
- Next Steps: The rezoning and member recommendations will be forwarded to the City Commission for final decision.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening, everybody. It is the August 12th, 2026 meeting of the local planning agency will now come to order. The local planning agency is an advisory board of citizens appointed by the city commission. This board is comprised of volunteers who represent the thoughts and concerns of the community. The purpose of tonight's meeting is to make recommendations to the city commission regarding each item on the agenda. Except for quasi-judicial items, which are identified on the agenda, tonight's format will be as followed. I will introduce each item on the agenda, after which the city representative will present information about it. Thereafter, members of the local planning agency will have the opportunity to ask questions of the city representative. Finally, anyone from the public may come forward. Those from the public wishing to provide comments will please approach the lectern, state your name and address for the record, and then utilize the microphone so that comments can be recorded. Individual speakers are limited to three minutes of speaking time, and we kindly request that speakers be respectful of the clock countdown. Citizens speaking on an agenda item or during citizens' comment shall not engage in loud, boisterous and or disruptive speech or conduct. Any speech or speaker that has continued inappropriate or irrelevant comments will be requested to relinquish the podium. Okay. With that, I do want to do one reminder for the members up here to please be sure to turn on your microphone and turn off when you're done. Good. Okay. All right. The first item on our agenda tonight is to approve the July 8th, 2026 LPA minutes. Are there any questions, questions, additions, deletions to those minutes? No. Hearing none, do I hear a motion to accept the minutes as submitted? I do. Sally makes a motion. Do we have a second? I second. Dr. Broom seconds. It has been moved and seconded to accept the minutes. All those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Any opposed? Okay. Minutes are passed. Okay. Item uh second item on the agenda is item one B, is a quasi-judicial item in nature. And as such, the format will be as follows. While the local planning agency is a non or is a not a quasi-judicial board and therefore has no final decision making power. Our procedures for quasi-judicial items will be structured in a quasi-judicial manner. The commission will be the ultimate quasi-judicial decision making authority. The process will be as follows. I will introduce each item, after which the city representative will present information about it. Thereafter, members of the local planning agency will have the opportunity to question the city representative. The applicant will present information about the item. Thereafter, the members of the local planning agency will have an opportunity to ask the applicant questions. If the applicant has any questions of staff or any we ask that those be addressed to the board. Finally, anyone from the public may come forward. Those please utilize the speaker's lectern, state your name and uh address for the record, and please limit your comments to three minutes. Okay. Upon uh conclusion of each public hearing, the local planning agency will consider the evidence before it and will vote on the agenda item.
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